Ukraine to expand use of AI-powered autonomous drones to fight Russia

Ukraine plans to expand the operational use of autonomous drones based on artificial intelligence (AI) to fight Russian forces by the end of this year, according to a representative of the government platform Brave-1. The move aims to increase precision and target identification capabilities in both offensive and defensive operations, while helping Ukraine seize the initiative against Russia, which has a numerical advantage in personnel. AI-based unmanned aircraft are already being used in the war, but this expansion involves more advanced drones that are fully autonomous in navigation. “These drones are capable of taking off, cruising, navigating to a target area, searching, identifying, and executing combat missions without a pilot touching the controller,” the representative explained. He cited the use of autonomous interceptors in Kharkiv, which successfully destroyed enemy attack drones, as proof of applying autonomous technology to save lives. The Ukrainian military will also expand the use of autonomous drones for both attacks and interception, although the schedule and scale have not been disclosed. Autonomy in drones is considered crucial for long-distance flights exceeding 100 kilometres, when communication and control are disrupted by distance and the curvature of the earth. Regarding the extent to which Ukraine hopes to expand the strike zone within Russian territory—currently around 20 kilometres from the border—he replied that with technological development, they hope to make all of Russia a strike zone. Ukraine is also building an ecosystem that allows friendly nations to train AI models using real combat data. Another Brave-1 representative said the platform hopes to deepen cooperation with Japan. Both representatives spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.